A Look at Portable Saunas

While a built-in or stand-alone sauna is the choice of most who enjoy the health benefits of the sauna, portable
sauna can allow you to enjoy a healthy, relaxing sauna almost anywhere - at home, on business trips, vacations, even in your office!

Most steam bath aficianados have no doubt about the health benefits of saunas.

After all, they are good for the circulation, keep the skin soft and supple, and promote relaxation.

Are there any drawbacks?

Well, one is that they are not accessible enough to the average person!

Most people wanting to use a sauna either have to go to a
health club or have one installed in their home.

There is an alternative solution, however.

A portable sauna
can allow you to enjoy a healthy, relaxing sauna almost anywhere - in
your home, on business trips, on vacations, even in your office!

Portable
saunas come in two basic styles.

The first, which is truly portable, is a folding box-like structure
that one person can sit in. There are also portable saunas
that look like traditional saunas – they are wood-lined and
have doors and benches. This second type is portable in the
sense that a bed is portable, you can take it with you when
you move, but you wouldn't want to take it on a weekend excursion.

Folding Sauna

The folding sauna is economical and practical. It folds up
into a compact package that can be carried anywhere. It sets
up quickly and doesn't need any special plumbing or electrical
connections. Just plug it into a wall socket.

You sit in the sauna with your head and hands protruding from the unit,
which fits snugly around your neck and has slits for your
hands. This allows you to read, watch TV or talk on the phone
when taking a sauna - things that are impossible with regular saunas.

This type of sauna uses Far Infrared (FIR) as the heat
source. FIR is different from convective heat sources because
it heats people and objects without warming the air in
between. Infrared is a natural spectrum of light.
It is completely natural and is the type of heat that provides most of
the warmth from the sun.

FIR heat passes deeply into the body tissues where it can promote
increased blood circulation and metabolism. Many proponents
of FIR say that it allows the body to break down toxins and promote
healing. Whether or not this is true, FIR offers an efficient
heat source that is ideal for portable saunas.

Pre-built Saunas

There's no doubt about the convenience of portable saunas but there are
times when you want a 'real' sauna experience. Luckily you
don't have to go through the hassle of having a sauna permanently
installed in your house to experience a "real" more traditional
sauna.

Pre-built saunas are two or three piece units that can be put together
in less than half an hour and can be placed almost anywhere. They offer the look and feel of traditional saunas right down to the
wooden benches. They simply plug into a regular wall outlet
to supply electricity for the heaters and the lights.

Like portable saunas, pre-builts usually use Far Infrared (FIR) heaters
as their heat source. Pre-builts are available in a variety
of sizes suitable for one person or up to 4 or 5 people. Many
manufacturers include accessories such as CD players.

Advantages of the Portable Sauna

The advantages of portable saunas are obvious! After all, you
can have a sauna anywhere you go. Sounds like an advantage to me!

When used at home they are tremendous space-savers. When you
are finished enjoying your sauna you just fold it up and store it under the bed.

Pre-built saunas also have their advantages. Even though they
are less portable than true portable saunas they still offer the
possibility to take the sauna with you if you move.

Do Portable Saunas Even Have Disadvantages?

Well, yeah! After all, the heat build-up of portable saunas
can't compare to regular saunas. Their thin walls just won't
support the same level of heat. Pre-built saunas are
insulated so their heat build-up is similar to regular saunas, but the
box-like structure (especially of the one person units) may make some
people feel claustrophobic.

Still, if you don't want the expense and hassle of having a
conventional sauna installed in your home, portable and pre-built
saunas allow you to get most ofl the same sauna benefits with very few
drawbacks.